Many years ago, I shared this tip with you on how to measure the distance you may have driven, walked, biked or ran. It is still an applicable, fun and helpful tip to use and enjoy. I only brought up that older tip because it dovetails into today’s tip which demonstrates how to use the new and extremely useful measuring… Read More »How to use the Google Maps measuring tool – Video Tip
Thanks to long time listener and web visitor, Daniel, for suggesting this week’s tip. I have been using this technique for more than ten years, but in order to learn it, you really must see it in action. Thus, it was a natural for our Video Tips, which are now almost 18 months old!
For Ubuntu and Windows users, you can quickly switch between open programs by pushing Alt+Tab on your keyboard. Macintosh users have a key called the “Command” key on their keyboards. By holding down the Command+Tab key, Mac users can switch between their open programs.
Why use the keyboard instead of your mouse? Time. I didn’t run any official tests, but I’m willing to bet that it takes at least three times longer to look at your task bar or dock (how many of you know what that is?), hunt for the application you need to switch to, then click on that program than it does to use the Alt+Tab or Command(Apple key)+Tab technique.
I know this doesn’t make much sense reading it, so click the play button on the video below and watch it in action! I show the Windows technique first, Ubuntu second, and end with the Macintosh tip. All told it’s about 2.5 minutes…2.5 minutes that WILL change your computing life. Pass this tip on to ALL of your computer buddies.
The last few years since this day came into existence, I found out about it AFTER the day passed. This year, however, I found out the date BEFORE so I can celebrate it with you. Any long time visitor to HelpMeRick.com knows that I frequently get on my backup soap box and answer many questions about backup on my radio… Read More »World Backup Day 2014
One of my daily visits brought me to a growing business today. As I waited to work on one of the employee's computers, I noticed that she spent a good 10-15 seconds scrolling through a medium size spreadsheet looking for a particular entry. I then asked if I could give her a quick tip on how to search through her spreadsheet faster using Ctrl+F on her keyboard. She said, "sure".
When you push Ctrl+F in a spreadsheet, a "Find" window appears. Type part or all of a word that you are looking for (or numeral) and press Enter and BAM the entry appears instantly. The tip is quick, accurate, and extremely helpful.
In January, this web site and my business will turn 13 years old. In that time, I have worked on thousands of computers ranging from the oldest DOS machines to the newest gaming and Mac monsters. My youngest client in that time has been 5 years old and my oldest was a 94 year old author writing a book for the first time on a PC. When your work in any field for a certain period of time, you start to spot patterns and consistencies.
After incubating the idea in my head for about six months, I want to share with you (and anyone you forward this article to) my opinion of how to use computer technology with the bare minimum of issues and cash. The following would be my advice to a computer user who truly wanted to follow my advice, no questions asked, based on my knowledge and experience.
Unfortunately, Google has not updated Picasa for Linux in almost 18 months. However, it remains a solid product for Linux users who want to easily manage their photos. I’ve tried F-Spot, but it just doesn’t seem intuitive or robust enough for everyday use. Anyway, I was helping one of my many clients using Linux Mint as their only operating system,… Read More »Burning CDs with Picasa for Linux
I repurposed my EeePC Netbook for my nephew with a copy of Qimo Linux for kids and it works great. Not only does my nephew now have a computer that is secure & virtually trouble-free, but it also comes packed with great learning resources & games. It also allowed me to reduce my computers by one. I now carry my… Read More »Downsizing my tech
Last summer, I wrote an article about a senior citizen client of mine who constantly struggled with her older Windows XP machine. Updates would cause problems, the printer would stop working, security woes plagued her. She turned out to be my poster child for using Linux (in her case Ubuntu 8.10). Check out the article (by the way, she is still doing fantastic with her computer and Ubuntu).
Today, I visited another of my Linux clients. This couple came to me about six months ago (they are both seniors as well and self-described computer newbies). They explained that computers frighten and intimidate them, but they felt compelled to have one so they could stay in touch with their kids and grandkids. They strongly desired to have a machine that was simple to use, maintain, and was safe. After much discussion, they decided to take my advice and dump their nearly 12 year old computer and Read More »Linux + Gmail = Computing Bliss
Sometimes the most helpful computer utilities elude us and stay hidden for years. One such utility that I find very helpful (and have taken for granted) is the Print Preview function found in almost any program that allows printing.
Because Windows and Macintosh made the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) environment available to the masses, what we see on our screens is pretty close to what we see on our print outs. However, if you need to tweak margins, find the extra line that is creating an extra page, or determine whether a document (like a spreadsheet) will look better in Landscape or Portrait mode, there is no substitute for theRead More »Print Preview
Interesting article from a ZDNet author, Christopher Dawson, who also works full-time as a school district computer engineer. Despite locking down Windows computers with security software, tweaking firewalls, and making sure all Windows updates are up to snuff, threats still sneak into their computers. I understand the frustration he exhibits in the article regarding the time and effort spent fighting… Read More »System Engineer fed up with Windows vulnerabilities